Ever wonder how Microsoft got so rich ? Yes, I can visualize you pointing to their flagship OS Windows. But it is not as simple as it looks. A major portion of Microsoft's revenue through sale of its OS comes from deals struck with various hardware vendors. The revenue it gets through sale of boxed versions of Windows is only a tiny minuscule percentage when compared to the money it gets through OEM deals. So when you go out to buy a computer especially from an established PC manufacturer, in majority of cases, you have no choice but get it pre-loaded with Windows. And even if you do not want Windows and intend to run some other OS, you end up paying for a copy of Windows.
In India at least, the situation is some what different because the assembled computer market is thriving and many people choose an assembled computer over a branded computer. But what do you do if you do not want to pay for a copy of Windows OS while buying a branded PC when you are sure that you intend to run Linux on it ? You can do what Serge Wroclawski did. With a good dose of patience, perseverance and good luck, he was able to get back over $52.00 - the price of an OEM version of Windows - which he was charged while buying a Dell PC.
